Trek Wars Away from the Light Into the Darkness (Discontinued)
by KnightLawn
Summary: This is a FAN-FICTION/ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE/CROSSOVER, which I am writing to celebrate the new Star Wars Sagas and Star Trek Series. (Discontinued replaced by The Solare Flare Cycle: A Series of Fairy Tales) The Solare Flare Cycle can be found here on : /s/12663040/1/The-Solar-Flare-Cycle-A-Series-of-Fairy-Tales
1. Chapter 1

Kirk sits up on his bed, sweating and gasping for breath. It is those dreams, again. The ones that have been torturing him for a while now. He gets up, throws on his uniform, and heads out the door. If there is one person that can explain what is going on, it is the one person that focuses in using logic.

Kirk arrives at the Starfleet Academy. He runs up the steps towards the entrance and heads through the large double doors.

He walks at a quick pace down the hall, his eye catching the time. 09:00. He stops in front of Spock's classroom. He should be getting out of his teaching session with his students right about now. Opening the door, he sees a few students are left packing their materials. Spock is facing the hologram board, moving a few slides around. Kirk swiftly moves to where he is standing.

"Hey Spock, may I speak with you?" He says from across the room.

Spock turns away from the board to face him. "Yes, captain. How may I help you?" He doesn't seem startled by his presence. It's typical for Kirk to walk into his friend's classroom unannounced, whether it is in session or not. Though, Spock has been firm about him waiting until the class has ended to not disrupt his students.

"Ok, enough with the formalities." Kirk tells him.

Spock moves his gaze behind Kirk to see the last of his students have left, then focuses his attention back to him. He nods towards the door. Kirk goes to the shut it, then takes a seat on one of the many desks facing the board.

"There is something I need to talk to you about."

"I assumed that is the reason for your presences today." Spock walks around his desk over to his friend and takes a seat next to him.

"Has anyone ever told you, you can be quite the sarcastic as -"

"Language." Spock interrupts him. "And, yes, you never cease to tell me."

"What are friends for?" Kirk says with a smug look on his face.

"What do you need to tell me?" Spock reminds him.

"Right. So, I've been having strange dreams for some time now. They're more like nightmares than dreams."

"Are you having the similar symptoms you experienced during our expedition? Are you hallucinating him, again?" His friend asks reminding him of the effects he experienced after his near death experience.

"No. Nothing like that. This is different."

"Oh, I see. Are these nightmares about you or someone in particular?" As usual, Spock's voice is blank of emotion. At least he tries, he will give him that.

"It wasn't a person, but hundreds of people and creatures alike dying by bursts of flames." Kirk speaks softly, a hint of a quiver in his voice. "The screams never seem to end. I can't tell which planet it is, but there is a possibly it takes place on Earth. My other nightmare I can see for certain that it takes place on the Enterprise. It is shot down by something or someone unknown. One moment it is suspended in space, the next, it's falling and… and…" Kirk scrunches his eyes shut as if he is in pain. With the tip of his finger and thumb, he pinches the bridge of his nose. Shaking his head, he lets out a deep sigh.

Spock leans back in his seat taking in what Kirk had said. "You must let go of everything you are afraid to lose. You don't want a repeat of last time. Keeping these emotions bottled up is not healthy." Spock says flatly.

"I know that is why I'm here. How do you do it? Discard your emotions? I figure, if I can do that, the dreams will stop, and I can focus on something else." Kirk looks up at Spock with hope, and maybe desperation.

"I am not certain if a Vulcan is capable of teaching a human to completely think logically. Much less discard all emotions. Though, I admit the part human in me does let me feel at times. It isn't always easy to ignore. I am unable to assist you. However, I can advise you to embrace them, not shut them out. I believe I know a class that you can take that may be of use." Spock stands up and begins walking towards the door.

"A class, Spock, really? I am a captain for goodness sakes. I can't be seen with a bunch of cadets." Kirk follows him out the door, and down the hallway.

"If I must remind you, you were once a cadet."

"I know, but -"

"This is not a class you have taken during your cadet years. It a new weaponry course taught by the Elderyn's masters."

Right, Elderyn. This is a new planet that was discovered during the first year of the expedition. It took four years for the planet to be part of the federation, and a year to let two of their people into the academy. It was around the same time they hired the masters; Elderyn's knights, their Planet's version of guardians.

They stop in front of an elevator at the end of the hall. Stepping inside, Spock presses the button that would take them to the roof of the school.

"Where we are going is a disciplinary training class. You will learn to fight with swords instead of phasors." Spock's hands were behind his back now as he spoke. His posture was similar to a general commanding an army.

"And how do you know about this class? Wait. Don't tell me, you've enrolled?"

"Of course not, I am a commanding officer and a teacher." Spock replies in all seriousness. That's basically what I just said seconds ago about not taking this class, Kirk mentally says. When he turns to stare at him, there is a hint of mockery in Spock's expression. Kirk lets out a groan.

"I know of this because of my students. As they go to and from my sessions, I hear them speak of this class. They seem pleased with their training."

In the beginning of their undeniable friendship, it was rare for Spock to use any adjectives such as "happy" or "pleased." Spock being half human, Kirk has been trying to teach him of the culture and mannerisms of humans. Most of which included the fact that humans don't always obey the rules given to them by society.

Kirk raises an eyebrow at Spock. What kind of weaponry training, taught by a group of dress wearing hippies, can the students find so pleasing…?

The elevator slows to a stop as it makes its way up to the final floor. At the door's opening, there is a view of what appears to be a training ground, and at the far end, a door.

"That door," Spock nods towards the direction in front of them, "Is the entrance to the classroom. There, you will be told the lesson of the day, then you will be brought out here with the rest of the class to begin the training regimen."

"I know how teachings work, Spock."

"Yes, well, it seems the lesson is about to begin. Go ahead and introduce yourself to the instructor. I have another class that I must attend to." With that, he walks back into the elevator, the doors closing behind him.

"Uh huh…" Kirk's words trail off as he continues to look at his surroundings.

Kirk walks towards the direction Spock pointed out to him. He slowly opens the door and looks inside. There is no one in the room except for three people. They turn to the opening of the door and stare at him. The man behind the desk looks up as well. He is older than the two facing him, long hair parted half up in a bun. Add long hair, dress wearing hippies.

"Um, hi," he calls out shutting the door behind him, "My name is Jim Kirk. I'm here to enroll."

"Ah, hello, Captain Kirk. I am Master Enre. I am the founder of this course here at Starfleet Academy." The man walks around his desks towards Kirk, and bows. Kirk awkwardly bows in return. Must be an Elderyn custom?

The man stands straight and gestures towards the other two in the room. "These two are my former students, Master Malik and Master Ragnhailt. They are here to assist me." Malik and Ragnhailt walk to either side of Enre, forming a trio. Two males with Ragnhailt being the only female in the group.

The two masters give a low bow. Kirk repeats the action. "It is an honor to have the captain of the USS Enterprise here with us. May I ask what brings you here to enroll?" Says Ragnhailt.

"Kirk. Just call me, Kirk. Well," Kirk begins as he rubs a hand behind his head. Why am I here? Right… Spock! "I'm here to do what I can to improve myself in becoming stronger for my crew, and any new members who wish to join, of the Enterprise. Plus, I heard the cadets are pleased with this training."

"And stronger you shall become. You are a good man, Captain, I mean, Kirk. Before you can begin your training, you must fill out some forms and see a physician."

Master Enre turns to his desks to collect a file folder. He gestures for Kirk to be seated. Once seated, Enre places the folder on the desk in front of Kirk.

After a few moments, he signs the last of the pages in the folder. He gets up and hands it to Master Enre. Kirk looks around, just realizing Malik and Ragnhailt had left. When did they-

"Alright," Catching Kirks attention, he looks back to the man, "You will begin tomorrow after you have gone to see the physician for an update on your health examination."

"Thank you." Kirk gives a low bow and leaves.

Heading out the door, he can't help the feeling that something terrible awaits him. He hopes with the help of this training, it will ease away his troubles. Spock better be right about this, or I will look like a fool taking a training course with a bunch of cadets, and hippies.


	2. Chapter 2

_The nightmare showed its ugly face, again. It is the one where he could see the Enterprise being shot down. Spock is sitting in the captain's chair. By his actions, it seems like he is giving out orders. He can barely make out what Spock is saying because of the explosions happening outside the ship. "Keep…stable…maintain…steady flight pattern." He watches as Spock takes off his seat restraints and heads towards the hall in a hurry; disappearing around the corner. Then he hears a large laser beam sound coming from the front of the ship's commanding room. He walks to the large window. He looks out to see a massive beam of orange and red light. In an instance there is a blinding light and then, nothing._ It was the last thing Kirk saw before he woke up.

The next morning, he gets dressed and heads over to the Starfleet academy. Walking through the doors to the medical examination room, he takes a seat in the waiting room. He takes a deep breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He feels exhausted since he didn't get much sleep last night. _Damn those dreams._ The training Spock suggested better work. After a few months, he hopes the dreams will stop. Though that may seem unlikely, at least he hopes it eases this unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. _Probably shouldn't have skipped breakfast._

"Jim."

Kirk turns his attention to the man in a white long sleeve standing at the door's threshold. The Chief Medical Officer of his crew. His friend.

"Hey, Bones. Ready for that exam. Make it quick, though."

McCoy eyes his friend. "You can't rush these things."

"Come on, Bones. Just wave your hand around with that thingy, and bam! I'm clear."

"Right. It's good to see you're taking your medical examinations seriously." McCoy replies with an eye roll.

"What do you mean? I take everything seriously." He retorts with a mocking shock expression.

"Ha! Well, right this way, Mr. Serious." McCoy leads Kirk to the examination room.

"Take a seat, there." Leonard waves his hand towards the exam table in the middle of the room.

"I received the request forms from Master Enre. You decided to start sword training. I hear the cadets are very pleased with this new course training." He said with a smile. _There is that word, again, 'pleased.' Not a typical choice of word to describe a training class._

"So why this training? Getting rusty, are we?" His thoughts are interrupted by McCoy's sly remark.

"Reason?" He seemed lost in his thoughts trying to find a way to explain his reason. He couldn't find the right words. "Spock suggested it."

The doctor stares at him for a moment then smiles. "Of course. So you are getting rusty."

Kirk attempts a laugh, but he is not feeling it today. Last night's dream is still in his mind.

McCoy did the basic routine in examining him. He took some blood, checked his heart rate, temperature, stamina, and a few other tests.

After a while, McCoy spoke. "You are good to go."

Kirk gets up to leave.

"Oh, and Captain," McCoy places his hand on Kirk's shoulder, "Whatever is on your mind, you will get through it. I know you will." He drops his hand. Kirk turns to face him.

"Thanks."

 _He will get through this._ He exits the medical office clinging to the words of his friend.

He arrived at the top floor of the academy. Exiting the elevator, he notices several students lined in rows - military style - with their hands behind their back. They are not dressed in the usual cadet uniform, but in a khaki fitted fleece training pants and a long sleeve to match. He sighs. _Great_. He feels overly dressed in his yellow captain uniform, and he can already tell this was going to be a rough day.

A _ding_ is heard announcing someone's arrival. Kirk is the only one to react to this sound. He turns around to see the three masters he met yesterday coming out of the elevator he just came through. Kirk nodded his head as a greeting, which only Master Eren acknowledged in return. He watches as the other two masters walk in front of the class. Kirk can't help but notice how agile their movements are. Enre joins them, standing in the middle between the two.

"Greetings. Today's lesson will involve sword fighting with wooden swords."

As Eren spoke, Kirk moved in position next to a long hair, tall young man that looked to be around his early twenties.

Master Malik opens a box to retrieve the weapons the class will be using.

"As you can see," Eren gestures towards Malik, practice weapon in hand, "these wooden swords are not your typical practice weapons used here in the academy. These are a lot longer and thinner to match the weight of this weapon here."

He takes out a metal hilt from his belt and a blue beam immediately appears. Eren walks around so everyone has a view of his weapon.

Kirk, stunned, can't keep his eyes off the green beam. He has never seen a weapon like that before.

"Malik, Ragnhailt, and I will observe your combat skills and study your sword formation. Pair up, and then you may begin."

Immediately, everyone was paired up and were given a wooded longsword, leaving a few stragglers. Kirk looks around, then his eyes are met by the eyes of a young woman. Her hair is up with only a few strands of lose hair. Instead of the long sleeve shirt that every cadet is wearing, here, she has on a short sleeve with bands wrapped around her arms. _She definitely stands out._

"Partners?" He asks.

She nods and goes to grab two swords from the box. She returns, tossing one to Kirk.

"Thanks. You got a name?"

"Rey." His sparring partner responds. "Yours?"

"Kirk." They both face each other and give a low bow.

Rey is the first to strike causing Kirk to hastily defend himself. She is quick and smooth. He is surprised by the assertion of her movements. _She seems so… gentle._

As they continue to dart towards each other, mainly Rey, Kirk decides to use a defensive tactic - pushing Rey's sword against her with his hope in catching her off balance. Of course it only worked for a moment until she pushed off him, spinning to his left side and kick sweeping him to the ground.

He lands on his face. _Did she just trip me?_ He is appalled, but more amused than anything. He gets to his feet. _No more playing nice._ He thought.

He focuses on offensive tactic keeping the right amount of distance in case she decides to sweep him off his feet, again; and he means that literally. She has a smug look on her face. She is clearly entertained by his choice of tactic.

At every strike, she blocks him. _Damn, she's swift._

They keep at it for some time. Kirk is so enthralled by Rey's fighting strategy that he forgets they aren't alone.

Finally, Kirk is able to lock an attack above her, forcibly arching her back with his sword, but she only remains calm; relaxing her muscles. She has her eyes closed and he notices her steady breathing. Her eyes open slowly; and suddenly, she shoves him with a strength he didn't expect she would have. _After two hours, how is she not tired?_

Now he is on the defensive, blocking her every move. He forgets about his foot work and ends up losing some balance, which then she is able to spin with her wooden sword and strike his face - hard enough to knock him to the ground.

Once he is on the ground, his back to the mat, she attempts to bring her sword down on him. He rolls out of the way, quickly, and bring himself to his feet, sword in hand facing her. _That look in her eye. He seen it before._ She is radiating, but he couldn't quite pin it down from what exactly.

"That's enough for now." They hear the master call out as he walks to the center of the training ground. Rey drops her sword at once and stands at attention facing the masters. The rest of the students did the same. Slowly, Kirk follows suit.

"Class dismissed." Enre gives the class a bow and the students bow in return. He leaves to his office, while the other two masters collect the wooden swords.

Rey is already handing her sword. Kirk runs up next to her. He hands his sword and follows alongside her.

"Great job today." From where he is walking, he can't tell if she is being sarcastic or not. _She practically wiped her feet on him._

They walk towards the elevator doors where a few classmates are waiting. Finally, being able to look at her as they stood, he notices a genuine smile on her face. She continues, "I've been studying for some time now, but even then, you've got a good head on your shoulders when it comes to knight combat."

"What do you mean?" Kirk asks, curiously. _She's, what, in her late teens?_ Yet, she speaks as if she has many more years in her belt.

Smiling she says, "I mean, you think on your feet. Most beginners in this sort of training would continue dogging or blocking attacks, not attempt to look within to find an opening to switch positions. Plus, you got me to work harder." She lets out a giggle at her last statement. The elevator doors open.

The last of the students all jumble in the elevator leaving only room for one. Rey takes the last spot leaving a few more students behind, including Kirk.

"See you in class tomorrow." She waves as the doors are closing.

He nods in return. "Yeah. Be ready. No more open shots for you." He teases earning a smirk from Rey.

The doors shut. _They should consider having more than one way out_ , Kirk mentally suggests. His legs feel as if they are made of jelly. It has been one long day. The lack of sleep is beginning to take a hold of him. He should probably get some rest soon. He is going to need it if the training continues like this. _Is it worth it?_ He knows it is. As the days' pass, he will grow stronger, and with the distraction in hand (plus getting his butt beat by Rey), he will no longer have to worry about those terrible dreams.

As Kirk continues his thought process, the elevator doors open to let him and the last several students inside. Once in, he notices the same long hair young man from the beginning of class. He now has a better view. The young man has a unique look to him. Much too serious, though. _Was he ever that serious at his age?_ Kirk mentally recalls the time he stole his step-father's car for the second time - it being freshly painted from the shop. The first time he was merely eight years old, and he totaled it over a cliff after being chased by a patrol officer. Chuckling to himself, the young man next to him eyes him, weirdly.

Aware of this, Kirk glances at him realizing he must be laughing to himself too loudly. "Sorry about that. Just remembering something." The doors open to the bottom floor and the young man exits right away without saying a word. _Yeah, that kid needs to lighten up._


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Ragnhailt taught the class. Malik and Eren were nowhere to be seen nor did Ragnhailt provide an explanation. The students didn't seem to mind. _Must be expected._ Ragnhailt had the students pair up, again. Rey found Kirk and stood by his side as they continue to face the master. Ragnhailt wanted the class to focus on what it meant to wield a sword. "To wield a weapon like this one," She held out her own. Like, Master Eren, a light beamed out of the hilt in her hand, but instead of green, it was the color blue, "in the name of Starfleet is to mean: one who protects the peace."

The next day during practice Kirk asked Rey what those weapons were. "The weapons are from my planet, Elderyn." _Oh, right._ Elderyn is the planet Kirk and his team came across a year into their expedition. No one knew of this planet until Kirk and Spock step foot on it. From miles all one could see is green lands. It is a sight worth seeing.

"Knights of the King and Queen use them for protection." Because Elderyn believes in keeping the peace. It is the only reason the King and Queen even considered being a part of the Federation. _To_ _keep the peace._

Kirk asks, "So do the weapons have a name?"

She nods, "Yes, it is called a Light -"

"Today you will study offensive capability." Rey is interrupted by Master Malik's announcement to the class. She and Kirk cease talking and face the front. "Offensive is to be used on opponents only. Never, should it be use for mindless slaughtering of another being. You all have your sparing partners, but let us switch up to new partners. You may begin now." He said with the wave of his hand. Everyone looked around to find new partners. Rey gave Kirk a sheepish smile and turned to the person right of her who asked to be partners. Kirk turn to his left and notices the tall, long hair _man-boy_. _No way._ He looks around some more, but it seems everyone has already paired up. _Sigh._

He turns back to the man-boy. "Got a partner?"

The man-boy just stares then says, "Let's get this over with." _Wow, it speaks._

"No problem. Got a name?" _Because he is not sure how long he can mentally continue calling him man-boy without it blurting out._

"Ben. My name is Ben." For whatever reason, a name like Ben is not what he expected. The name is simple and easy, nothing like this person in front of him.

"Nice name. I'm Kirk. Jim Kirk." He extends his hand towards Ben as a greeting. Ben looks at it, hesitantly, then extends his own to shake his. At that moment, Kirk has a familiar eerily feeling. It takes him about ten seconds too long to realize he is still holding Ben's hand.

"Do you mind?" He hears Ben ask.

Where has he felt this feeling before? He questions himself.

 _In his nightmares._

He shakes his head an attempt to shake the emotion off. _Not here._

He let's go of Ben's hand. "Sorry, want me to get the long sticks?" Kirk says, referring to the wooden swords.

"Sure." There is a small smile forming on Ben.

 _Ha, so he isn't as serious._ Kirk walks to the box of weapons with the unnervingly sensation in the back of his head trying to push its way out.

He returns to hand Ben his weapon, his at the ready.

The usual gestures are repeated, and with that the start of the training. Ben came at Kirk with such quick movement that it only fazes Kirk by a millisecond. He is fast, but not as fast as Rey, he thought.

Kirk plants his feet firmly on the ground in a defensive stance. The swords connect. Ben steps back and moves to the side of Kirk, then he takes a swing. But instead of striking Kirk, it hits air. He has ducked, moving away from Ben. In doing so, he notices something similar in Ben's movements. He then hits Ben's front legs causing him to trip, landing on his stomach. Kirk can't help, but snicker.

Ben quickly gets up, _pissed off_ is evident in his expression. Kirk, once again, is locked with Ben. Sword on sword. This time he shoves his weight with the sword, pushing Ben back.

His opponent is now expected to shield the oncoming hits that came his way. He just kept moving his feet back, trying to stay away from his opponent as much as possible. Ben stops Kirk's sword by pushing him off with his weight, then run towards him, hard. Knocking Kirk on his back, resulting in him to lose his sword. Imagines of last night's dream come into surface. _No!_ He turns on his side to reach for the sword, but then he is knocked on his back, again, with a shove of Ben's boot.

Kirk is now facing Ben from the ground with his hands up. The look on Ben's face told him to react otherwise, as his opponent stood tall with the sword pointed to his chest. It dawns on him the similarity in this young man's combat skills. _Rey._ He wonders if Ben is from the same planet. Of course, Rey wasn't as brusque.

 _Sigh._ How is he supposed to stop the nightmares if his training continues like this? Maybe it would be wise for him to quit, and focus on moving forward with a second expedition since there is so much he and his crew have yet to explore. _But since the incident…_ He can't give up now. He has to believe these dreams are nothing more than that. The more his focus is on training the higher chance these inklings would go away.

Class is dismissed. Right now what he needs the most is to clear his head of these worrisome thoughts. _A flight into space should do the trick._ He heads over to Starfleet Headquarters, practically flying up the steps. He stops in front of a guard. "I need a small ship - one to two-man." He flashes his captain's identification.

The guard nods and steps aside. "Right this way captain."

Kirk enters with the guard at his foot. He turns, in wonder, to eye the guard following him, then continues to look forward. _That's new. Why is he not standing by his post? He showed his identification._

As they pass the docking bay the guard asks, "So, what will you be using the ship for today, may I ask?"

"Just a flight in space to clear my head. One of the things that makes space so wonderful is star gazing."

The guard raises an eyebrow at Kirk. "But aren't stars a bunch of dust and gas? What is wonderful about that?"

 _Is he serious?_ Kirk takes a deep breath and stops in front of the ship he wants to use. He stares at the guard. "Have you been to space?"

The guard looks away. "Uh, no."

Kirk doesn't bother to respond to that, so he dismisses the guard and enters the ship.

Kirk shakes his head. _Well, that was rude of him._ He needs to get his act together.

He gets on board, sits on the seat, and starts the engine. The doors slowly open as he begins to hover. Once he is able, he fires out of there – pass the bridges, tall buildings, and clouds. As he exits the Earth's atmosphere, he can see the stars.

After what seems like hours of moving around space, he set the controls to auto-pilot and lays his seat back to get some shuteye.

He awakens by the shock of his dreams. Even in space, he can't seem to escape them. _What time is it?_ He pulls his seat up and looks around for the time. It reads 15:00. _Three hours?!_ _He has been asleep for three hours_? It seems unreal since the dream felt like thirty seconds. _Thirty long painful seconds._ A loud beeping startles him – It is coming from the part of the data computer that alerts of a dangerous planet.

"OK. Weird." He says out loud to himself as he leans closer to get a better look of the readings. He looks around, he is nowhere near a danger-

"Mustafar, class M. Known suns, one. Climate searing. Native species, Mustafarian. Primary terrain, volcano, and lava rivers. Proceed with caution. Warning, proceed with caution." The intercom voice beeps.

"Since when is a class M considered dangerous?!" He says aloud.

Once again he takes a look outside the window.The whole planet looks like one big sun all on its own. It didn't really need a sun to support it, now, did it? He looks at the readings, again. _Known suns, one._

He holds his head down in worry. Should he go back to Earth to get his crew ready to come asset the problem or is it a malfunction in the computer's data? What if there isn't much time to get his crew if there is something wrong with this planet? Then, again, it is a class M planet, at least it should be, so it wouldn't hurt to survey it himself.

Kirk sits up. He's overthinking this way too much. Since when has he ever thought things through. It has always been act first, then think of the consequences; which has never failed him, _really_. He decides to go forth on his own.

Besides, there is no reason to waste his crew's time with nothing nor have them endangered. He engages to manual controls, allowing him to go straight towards Mustafar.

As he came in for a landing on a dirt ground, away from the lava, he gets this odd feeling – like a feeling one gets when experiencing deja vu. The ship's door open as he steps out.

To his left he can see springs of lava shooting up towards the sky, showers of the lava falling around itself. He continues onward until he comes across a stairwell that seems to be leading underground. Without hesitation, he goes in. Serval steps down, Kirk sees a light at the end. Once he appears upon the entrance, he notices a round table in the middle of the room with five chairs surrounding it. On the right, towards the far wall, there are large computers, some of the monitors cracked or slashed in half. The keyboards are destroyed to bits on the ground. He walks to the left of the destroyed monitors to the only one still intact. He gets a closer look what seems to appear as readings similar to the one's on the ship. The protection shields are offline.

Then, all of a sudden, the ground begins to shake.


	4. Chapter 4

Since the shields preventing the lava from rising are down, every move he makes has to be a cautions one. He exits out of the room – up the flight of stairs – on to a dirt path. He runs as far, and fast, away from the river of lava that is beginning to rise. As far as he knows, the mustafarians are the caregivers of this planet. Though, he could see droids hovering over the river. _These droids are similar to the ones in Elderyn_ , Kirk thought to himself as he halts in his steps to take a good view of his surroundings. This is the second time he has step foot in this planet. The first time was with his crew during the five-year expedition. It was around the time they learned of the planet, Elderyn. Though in his previous visit, the plant, Mustafar, was not active. Nor were there known droids at the time. _This is strange._

The lava exploded upward. _Well, there went any chance of him surveying the locals._ And chunks of lava began to shower around him. He ran.

Once he is far enough away, he slows down, but still maintaining a quick pace. The terrain began to go uphill. He continues his steps higher up the hills. This way he can get a better view of the area _._ At the top he sees a long bridge going straight across to the other side where he sees a cave opening. _Maybe he can actually get an idea of what is happening here,_ he tells himself in hopes of coming across any of the mustafarians. He sees lava spurt high over the edges of the bridge, almost like a rainbow – a blend of orange, yellow, and red colors. He cannot hesitate, not even for a moment, if he is to avoid the falling embers landing on the bridge. Kirk ran across once he saw the opportunity to do so.

He takes a look back. Lava is shooting more than the first time. _Barely made it._

He enters the cave before him – having to duck to get in as the entrance isn't very large. The further he went the lower and narrower the walls came to be. Any lower, he would have to crawl his way there _._ With the lava at this back, there was enough dim light to see with, but the deeper he went, the dimmer it became. It was pitched dark before he saw a flicker of a light.

Finally, he is at the end of the tunnel. He slips out the exit – almost a crack in the wall too tight for more than one person to walk through. He dusts himself off as he takes a look, the walls around him are large enough for him to stand. At the far end there is a chest and on either side of it a torch. He walks over to the chest. _If this isn't mysteries enough, where are the guards? Where is anyone?_ He looks down. _More importantly, where has he seen this chest before?_ He kneels down in front of it, then pulls on the latch. It unlocks. Kirk stares at the chest for a few seconds. The familiarity of this box is picking at him, not being able to pinpoint where he has seen it. He lifts the lid of the box and a burst of gold light blinds him for a brief second. Once the blurriness goes away, he takes a look of what is inside.

What he sees isn't what he expected, though, he isn't sure what he was expecting to find. He stares at it, then picks it up. It is a dagger with a yellow and gold design. As he takes a closer look, he sees a hilt attached to the dagger. He examines it some more and sees a button just below the hilt. Kirk presses the button and instantly a gold beam is lit. He is stunned by the beauty of this weapon. It is similar to the one the Masters' have. The obvious difference is not only the color, but the dagger attached to it.

He turns off the beam. Without a second thought, he hooks the weapon to his belt and runs to the direction he came from. Suddenly, his surroundings begin to shake and bricks of stone begin to fall. He makes it through the crack-opening in time, pushing through the narrow walls as fast as he can. Once outside, he turns around to see the cave collapse on its self. _It is rigged which explains the lack of security._

He faces forward. Two small meteors made of flame come his way barely missing him. The meteor rocks hit the bridge to his left bouncing off into the lava river below. Kirk takes out his blaster and points towards the direction of where the small meteors came from. Across the way, he makes out two figures. It is hard to see since the only source of light is the lava. With it spurting about, it is like looking through thick rain. _Can it be Mustafarian? It would explain the bad throws._

"Hello, I come in peace." _And the award for the most cliché greeting ever goes to…_ "I spotted an alert while traveling and came to see the problem. I am Captain Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise of the Starfleet Command. So, I mean no trouble." Two more rocks came flying, one almost hitting his head. "Hey! Not the face!" He puts his blaster away then lifts his hands in the air. "Look, I came to assess. That is all." Maybe they don't speak English he thought to himself. _Where is a linguistics when you need one?_

One of the figures came towards him in a fast pace. It almost looks like it was running at him. He put his right hand down near his blaster. The figure stops on the other side of the bridge. _Why did it- Oh, the lava._

Suddenly the lava stops spurting, the figure continues its pace. In front of him is no longer a figure, but a mustafarian. It stops, maintaining its distance. It points at Kirk's belt. He looks down and sees the dagger. _Oh._

He continues to stare at it. They must have notice the cave collapse. They must be protecting this weapon. _But why?_ Kirk brings his other hand down, it hovering over the weapon. _This dagger doesn't seem like their type._

He looks at the mustafarian. The way it is dress in its long robe suggest it is not a guard. Still pointing at Kirk's belt, it stares right at him. It then extends its palm, facing up.

He doesn't understand why he hasn't given the dagger. He doesn't know anything of this weapon nor where it came from, but he can't let it go. _Must keep it._

He plants his feet. "Sorry, but I can't do that." Then charges at the robe mustafarian. Kirk shoulder buts it, knocking it down. The lava begins to abrupt. He continues his charge. He sees the other mustafarian and knocks him while a meteor is coming at him. This time it doesn't miss. The flame of the rock burns his side shoulder. He runs ignoring the pain.

There are more coming his way. Sharp lava rocks are being chucked at him this time, each missing or taking a hit on his back.

Kirk is knocked over with a black rod. He quickly gets on his feet and dodges another swing. He takes out his blaster, but it is knocked out of his hand by another lava rock. This time he is staring at an ironed masked guard. _It can't be._ This guard in front of him is the same guard from one of his dreams. _This moment, right now, he has seen it happen._ It swings at Kirk, again. He ducks, but gets knocked by another blow directly from his stomach. Kirk heaves out, falling to his knees.

As the rod comes down at him, something inside Kirk merges. He can't explain it, but it's as if the dagger on his belt is calling to him. He grabs it and activates the gold beam. It slices the rod in half. Kirk gets on his feet pointing the weapon at the guard. Instead of running, Kirk continues to maintain his stance. Lava rocks, once again, are coming at him. With a swift movement of the beamed dagger, he incinerates the rocks in halves.

"I can't give you this weapon." Or _he won't._ _Why so much trouble for one weapon? Is all this worth it? How do I know this isn't one of those dreams, again? Am I truly awake? No, this feels different._ In his brief contemplation with himself, the guard takes the opportunity to strike Kirk with a punch. Quickly, Kirk reacts with the weapon in hand. Next he hears a loud cry. Looking down, he notices a severed armored hand, then looks at the guard holding his arm. _Did he just do that?_

The longer he holds the weapon; more power he feels. This power is not like anything he has ever experienced. Well, no quite. _Khan's blood._ After his near death, he was induced with Khan's super blood to safe him. For a while he had this surged-energy inside him, similar to the effects he is feeling now, but not at powerful as this weapon.

There is a sudden shake of the ground. The guard charges at Kirk, knocking him and the weapon – deactivating the beam. He his pinned by the guard, some blows coming at his face. With his eyes, he searches for the weapon. He sees it, above him. He reaches for it, his fingers grazing it. Blow after blow, he feels his conscious slipping. Showers of lava are upon them, the suit of the guard shielding him. The ground shaking heavier and faster. _This is the part of his dream where he wakes up. If he is dreaming, he should be waking up any minute._ He reaches for the dagger, again. _Nothing. So, this is it._ Deeper and deeper his mind is slipping. _NO!_

Finally, with one last reach, he grabs the dagger, reactivating the beam at the hilt. As the guard leans back to take his last punch at him, Kirk brings the weapon towards the guard, stabbing him through his armor, then slowly lifting it to its head. The guard is sliced in half from the chest up. It falls to the side, no longer pinning Kirk.

He gets up stunned at what he has done. Kirk has never intentionally killed anyone, even if he was in a position to do so. It was always a stun here and a knock to unconsciousness there. _What has he done?_

The ones throwing the lava rocks are now approaching. With no time to dwell on his actions, he turns the weapon off and attaches the hilt to his belt. He runs. He runs faster than he as ever run before. Despite the pain and the eruption of the planet around him, he pushes through.

Once he is in front of his ship, he falls on his hands and knees due to the incredible pain throughout his body. It is going to be a long trip back. He can't imagine all the explaining he would have to do. _How can he explain what he just did?_ One thing is certain, Bones will have a fit with all the injuries he has attained. As for the dagger, there is no chance in explaining that.


	5. Chapter 5

McCoy is sitting by Kirk's bedside waving the medic scanner to get readings on his current condition. Once he is done, Kirk stirs awake. His eyes open in a slow flutter. He takes a look around not recognizing where he is at first. Then his eyes are met by his friend.

"What happened?" Kirk ask McCoy in a weak voice.

"We found you outside your ship on the Starfleet's airport. It seems you collapsed. Must've been a hell of a fight. What happened out there?" His friend asks in concern.

This is the question Kirk has been dreading since he left Mustafar. After ascending from the planet, he doesn't remember the trip back home. Now, as he lay on the hospital bed of Starfleet with his friend looking at him with such concern, there is no way he could simply ignore him. He turns his head away from McCoy, memories of the guard dying by his hand causing him to cringe. _Or could he?_

"Jim, please." McCoy pleas as he rests a hand on Kirk's shoulder. He knows ever since Khan, Kirk has not been fully himself. He begins to worry that his friend is suffering the same symptoms from four years ago.

"I can't explain it." The sound of his voice is raspy. It feels dry. He grabs the glass of water on the nightstand near his bedside. His head is still turned away from McCoy. He takes a drink and puts it down.

"What do you mean you can't explain it? That's a first coming from you."

Kirk turns to look at his friend for just a moment then looks the other way again. How can he tell him he has innocent blood on his hands? Despite the planet's harsh terrain, the mustafarian are solitary people. They haven't cause much harm since their discovery. He probably jeopardized that now. "There's nothing to tell. The lava erupted and I hurt myself trying to escape." He says in a harsh tone.

For a few seconds McCoy doesn't say anything. That's when Kirk looks at him. He isn't looking at him with concern, but with annoyance. Kirk notices the doctor's hand is no longer comforting his shoulder.

McCoy takes a deep breath. "The more you push me away the more I fear for your safety, Jim. I've called the masters to come and examine the blade you found." He says pointing to it. It is on the table tray at the end of his bed. Instantly, Kirk makes a grab for it.

"No, Jim." McCoy pushes Kirk to lay back down. "Master Eren has informed me that no one must touch the blade."

Kirk stares at the blade intently. "Why?"

"Not sure. He will explain once he arrives. I will be back in a sec. Don't even think about getting up." McCoy gets up to leave.

Ten minutes have passed before the masters showed up, and within those ten minutes he did not once take his eye of the blade.

"How are you feeling, Captain Kirk?" Ragnhailt is the first to ask.

"I've been better." He says with an attempt of a smile. She doesn't smile back. _His charms must be on the frits today._

"Rey asked for you in class the other day." Ragnhailt says. "Had to tell her that you'd been out cold for at least two days now."

"The other day? How long have I been here?"

"Two days since they found you. A day before that since you took the ship." Master Malik is the one to reply.

 _Three days?!_ "What?! That can't be! I was just gone for several hours." He tries to remember, but he is drawing out a blank. He could've sworn it has only been several hours since he left the planet Mustafar.

"You heard correctly. Once your ship was out of the Earth's atmosphere, it was no longer able to be traced through Starfleet's GPS system. We believe you were sucked into a black-hole. How you were able to return is still a mystery."

"This is absolutely insane. I was not sucked into anything!" Why can't he remember anything from his return home? He begins to feel frustration and anxious. _Can it be the blackouts are happening, again?_ That is the only explanation he can think of.

"Where is Spock? I need to see him." Kirk demands.

"Malik will go contact him. Now, where did you find this weapon, Kirk?" Master Eren asks cutting Kirk off.

"A planet called Mustifar." Kirk replied as he kept his eyes on Malik who opened his communicator as he left the room.

For a brief second Eren's eyes grew wide with worry, then composed himself as he asked the next question. "Kirk, did you use the blade?"

Images of him fighting the Mustifarian flashes in his mind. _Blood, so much blood._ Kirk shudders, his eyes shut tight as he responds, "I may have used it in self-defense against an attacker."

Eren and Ragnhailt looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at Kirk.

Master Eren unfold his arms from across his chest as he walked closer to the blade. He picks it up and studies it for a few moments before he spoke; with Kirk never taking his eyes off it.

"This is the first time I have ever encountered a blade like this up close. Its design is very unique." He presses the button on the dagger. "Ah, so the legends are true. A gold beam. That is very rare." He says.

"Gold signifies someone who uses light-side based skills." Ragnhailt spoke. "However, Kirk, you do not have the ability to use the Force as it is something that cannot be taught." She says this looking directly at Kirk.

"The Force?" Kirk questions.

"Yes, the Force. It is something only a few of our people have the ability to use. People like myself, Malik, and Eren."

Kirk stares at them both, then the blade, which is still lit. _Huh?_

"He would make a good Jedi Sentinel; don't you think?" Eren turns to Ragnhailt as he asks; turning off the blade, but still holding on to it.

"Don't you mean a Mélange?" She tells Master Eren.

"No. Sentinel is what I meant." He corrects her.

"The Force, Jedi, Mélange? I still don't know what you are both talking about." Kirk says in annoyance. He just wants them leave.

"Mélange refers to someone of mixed blood. Mixed blood types have the ability to use the force. As for Sentinel, it refers to someone who works undercover to eliminate traces of the dark-side. Though these types are very rare because of the type of weapons they use such as this blade. They are not born with the ability to use the Force." Eren responds.

"I am still not understanding. What is _the Force_? What is a _Jedi_? And why is this blade _rare_?" Kirk asks in frustration.

"Those are very good questions best suited for another time." Master Ragnhailt is the one to reply. "Please, you need your rest."

"For the time being this blade must be taken to the Elderyn council."

"But-" Kirk begins to protest, but is instantly cut off by the master.

"This is Elderynian business. Please, understand." With that Master Eren attaches the blade to his belt as Master Malik enters the room with Spock.

The three masters leave the room, leaving only Spock and Kirk.

"Captain, are you all right? Master Malik has informed me of what has happened." Spock says in his usual blank tone. "Why did you not inform the crew?"

"I couldn't risk any of you. It was a last minute choice I made." Kirk responds turning his head away from his friend, and in some ways, his brother. _He can't bear to look at him. The guilt of what he has done rests heavy on his chest._

"How are the training lessons going?" He hears Spock ask.

"It's going," He sighs. "Poorly. The dreams haven't stopped."

"With time you will grow stronger." His friend tells him.

"Not if I can't stop the dreams, Spock!" He turns to him, not meaning to yell, but he is feeling frustrated and tired. "You don't get it." Kirk lays on his back staring at the ceiling. His mind floods back to those closest to him. _All of them dead._ These recurring dreams are starting to feel more like visions. Visions that bring fear to his very core. And he is not one to let such emotions cloud his judgement.

"I see. I will leave you to rest. Tomorrow we may speak about what happened." Spock gets up to leave. Kirk doesn't bother to stop him. Feelings of exhaustion hit him. He closes his eyes as Spock closes the door behind him.

Once again, Kirk is ripped from his sleep by his nightmares. He turns over on his side, folding his arms across his chest. His mind continues to drift to those closest to him. "I will protect all of you. I will protect all of you." He whispers several times as he falls asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Spock left the room finding the masters outside waiting for him. Eren walks up to him, arms in his sleeves. "Mr. Spock, may I ask, who was Kirk's Master figure who trained him to take control of the USS Enterprise?"

"Captain Pike, but he was murdered several years ago. Why do you request such information?"

"To meditate and make contact with him through the Force."

Malik walks by. With a hint of irritation in his tone, he says, "I do not trust him one bit. His recklessness could get him in a lot of trouble. We do not need to lose our heads over him to the darkness. Filthy half-breed." He is shaking his head as he continues to walk passed them.

"Malik, please do not use that term to refer to the non-Force sensitive students." Ragnhailt calls back. She turns to look at Spock. "I am sincerely sorry. He worries about the students falling to the Dark-side. I assure you, he does care about Kirk's wellbeing, but expresses it unmannerly."

"It is fine Master Ragnhailt. May I ask, what is the dark-side? Is it an entity?" Spock asks.

"The dark-side refers to the force. Within the force there is light and dark, good and evil." She stops, noting another question coming from Spock, then says, "We will explain in detail another time, Spock."

"Ragnhailt, would you mind asking the front desk to see if we could get a copy of Kirk's medical records to take back with us?"

Ragnhailt nods her head at Eren's request and walks over to the front desk. Eren and Spock watch as she makes small talk with the woman at the counter.

Spock turns to Eren. "Why do you need a copy of Captain Kirk's medical records?"

"The blade Kirk encountered with is not like any other weapons. It's the only one in the galaxy with a power beyond anyone's capability. I want to know how a mortal was able to find it, and wield it."

Ragnhailt returns with a file with the copy of the records. "No consent needed. The woman was very willing to assist." She hands the file to Eren.

He leans towards her. "Ragnhailt, tell me you did not use any mind tricks. That is against the rules here." Eren whispers.

"Then I won't tell you." She whispers back with a smirk on her face.

Eren composes himself and looks at Spock. "We will be on our way." Both masters give Spock a nod and walk out of the hospital doors.

Spock is left with many questions.

During the discovery of their planet, there was a lot of trials and bills to be past in accept Elderyn as part of the federation. Once it was past, there was question of bringing some of their traditions to Earth. Fortunately, it was accepted by enough people of the council to get funds for a Jedi Temple a few miles from the academy. It was better than having to space travel to Elderyn every time needed to relay information to the council.

As the two masters of Starfleet enter the temple, they encounter Hakim, a trusty adviser to the King and Queen of Elderyn as well as the representative of the federation council, standing with Malik.

Hakim and Malik look to see Eren and Ragnhailt coming their way.

"Greetings. Master Malik tells me you have an interesting new student in your class." Hakim speaks calmly.

"Yes, quite interesting indeed." Eren replies.

Several people of the temple walk by.

"Let us take this conversation to my office." Says Hakim.

The three masters follow suit. Once inside, Ragnhailt is the first to speak. "The student found a very special weapon."

Eren takes the weapon from his belt to show to Hakim.

"Where did he get that?" He says sounding outraged.

"Mustafar." Eren replies, confused by Hakim's reaction.

"How?" He asks, composing himself from his overreaction.

"We do not know. More curiously, why was this weapon hidden in Mustafar?" Eren asks.

"That is only for the King and Queen and their advisor to know."

The masters take this in. After several seconds, Eren speaks.

"We believe this student has something unique about him since he was able to find this weapon."

Hakim leans back on his chair. "I see."

Eren hands Hakim Kirk's copy of his medical records. Hakim opens the file and studies it for several minutes without saying a word. Then he looks away from the file to face the masters.

"Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise. This is truly impressive."

"We have no doubt in our mind that this man would make a good Jedi Sentinel." Ragnhailt tells him.

Hakim raises an eyebrow in question. "What makes you believe that a man from this planet could be trained to do a Force Sensitive's job?"

"Look at his records, again." She urges.

Hakim opens the file, once again, to examine it closely. "Blood transfusion. Saved from a near death experience six years ago." He looks up. "To cheat death is rare, but that still does not answer the question."

"As you know, this weapon can only be found by a special calling. We believe Kirk has this calling. How else can you explain his finding?"

Hakim doesn't respond to Eren's question.

Malik is the one to speak now. "For now, I think it is wise to go into a meditative state. We should be able to contact Kirk's master figure through the force. The one who trained him to take command of the Enterprise will be the deciding factor with what should be done with Kirk."

All three give a nod of agreement, and then close their eyes. They begin to focus their minds on the Force. Once they open their eyes, they find themselves standing in an office different from Hakim's. The style is similar to the rooms in Starfleet. They approach the desk; the back of the chair facing them.

"Captain Pike?" Ragnhailt asks softly.

The chair swivels around to reveal the older Starfleet admiral. "Since when do the living disrupt the dead?" He asks.

"Our apologies. My name is Eren. The four of us would like to discuss our concerns about Kirk."

Pike let out a sigh. "What has he done now? It must be serious since you went out of your way to contact me. By the way, how did you do that?"

"Question for another time, I'm afraid, our time is limited." Eren responds.

"We are concerned about Kirk's reckless actions leading him down a dark path." Malik answers.

Pike lifts an eyebrow.

"Or should I say I am the one that is most bothered by his recent actions." Malik continues.

Pike gets up from his seat. "Whatever path you believe Kirk is going down, I will tell you this much, and only this much," He says sternly looking at the four masters. "I believe in him. I also believe he can handle any kind of test, or whatever you plan to have him do."

He continues, "You may give him any kind of test you need to. You'll gain his trust soon enough. Nothing will shake my faith in him. Good day, masters." With that the office before them disappears. They are back in Hakim's office.

Eren looks at the other three. "Well then, you heard Pike. That settles it."

"I admire his faith." Ragnhailt says with a smile.

"I still have my doubts." Malik responds distastefully at the others comments.

"I would like to observe his training, if I may." He looks at Eren, who gives him a slow nod in approval. "I believe, if what you say is true about his potential to be a Jedi Sentinel, then it may not hurt to have him tested. And if he passes, I may consider taking him on as my apprentice."

"If you must…" Eren says, eyeing Hakim uncertainly.

Hakim gives Eren a small eerily smile. "Yes, I must. For the sake of our planet and theirs."


	7. Chapter 7

"Well, Jim, looks like you're ready to get back to training." McCoy says looking at his medical chart.

"Great! Now hand me my clothes, so I can get out of this hospital gown. It's drafting in places no man should ever feel." Kirk replies.

"Not so fast. I said you're ready to head back to training, but I didn't mean right now. It's recommended you have one more day of rest. And don't even think about slipping out, I have guards outside this facility ready to sedate you." He says teasingly, but with a hint of seriousness in his tone. McCoy walks out of the room, but before closing the door he says, "And, I know I said any questions or concerns, no matter how small, is a need to know, but as for the draft from the gowns, that was not a need to know." The door closes behind him and Kirk can hear him let out a chuckle.

He sighs, clearly irritated and bored out of his mind. It has been four days since he has woken in this hospital room. _It's just one more day_ , he tells himself. Maybe after training tomorrow, his worries will clear up.

The next morning, Kirk wastes no time to leave the hospital. Once outside, he is glad to be out of there. He heads over to the academy and straight to the practice room. Ragnhailt is teaching today's training. He finds a spot at the last row.

"Being able to defend against your opponent is just as important as being able to use offensive tactic against them. That will be today's main focus. One partner will use offensive tactic while the other will use defensive, and vice versa. You may begin now."

Kirk makes a quick sweep of the room and finds Rey at the very front. He walks up to her.

"Hey partner, missed me?" He says teasingly.

Rey jumps a little in surprise then composes herself. A smile widely forms on her face. "Maybe."

"I will take that as a big yes." He smirks.

"Ha. So, what happened to you? Got tired of getting your butt kicked?" She replies with a mockingly smirk on her face.

They walked over to the box of practiced weapons as they talked. "You wish. As for where I've been, it's a long story." He says.

"We got time. I will try not to knock your head too much as you tell me. Don't want your accounts to get too fuzzy."

"Funny." Kirk grabs two wooden swords from the box.

"I did try to talk to Ragnhailt about your whereabouts, but she said it is best to ask you once you return."

He is about to make a haughty comment as he tosses her the sword, but is instantly distracted by a hooded person standing against the wall near the elevator.

She catches the wooden sword and turns to where Kirk is looking and then back at him. "What are you-"

"Who is that?" Kirk interrupts her. Rey takes a quick look behind her, again, to the person Kirk is referring to.

"Wouldn't be able to tell you." She stops to think as if to have just remember something. "Though, I did hear we are getting a new master from the temple. Or that person standing there might be a new student observing our training?"

"Maybe." He can't help, but feel as if he has seen this hooded person before.

Kirk and Rey move to the other side of the training ground to find a spot. They being their lesson of today. A couple times, Kirk looks out of the corner of his eye to find the hooded person has not moved from the same position. He also feels that the person is closely watching him, but he can't tell whether they are or not. In those moments of distraction, Rey gets good hits on him, which causes him to stumble a little. After a couple more rounds, the next hit has him on his back, a pain erupts with the memory of his wounds.

"Are you okay?" He hears Rey ask. He feels her pull him up. Finally, he realizes his eyes are closed shut from the pain. He opens his eyes to see a concern Rey looking at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I forgot about my wounds back there. I guess they haven't properly healed all together. Don't worry." He starts to feel the pain dull a little.

"You never did tell me that long story. Are the wounds apart of it?" She asks curiously.

"Yes. I was attacked with lava rocks while I was on the plant Mustafar. Somehow after I ascended from the planet I was sucked into a black hole. Honestly, my memory is a bit hazy. And no, it has nothing to do with you knocking me with a few good hits just now." He says the last part with a smile.

"Mustafar? Black hole? Wow." She is surprised. Kirk guesses that wasn't what she was expecting to hear.

"Like I said, it is a long story. For another time."

She nods in agreement, and they continue their lesson.

Dashing at Rey as she held her position, Kirk struck at her blade several times, managing to disable it from her grip. Rey moves backwards in quick step. As Kirk points his blade at her, she rolls, ducking from his oncoming swing. Then she reaches out her hand, and the blade comes flying in the air, passing Kirk by the shoulder. He swiftly moves out of the way, and turns to look at her in amazement as she catches it. Kirk is stunned that he barely moves when she disarms him.

"What was that?"

She smiles at his awe look in his expression. "The Force."

He stares at Rey for a moment. Not realizing till the last second, she swings her wooden sword and knocks him on the mat.

The hit from the ground flickers a memory _._ His mind is racing with glimpses of his crew on the Enterprise. He sees Rey running away from him. He tries to call out, but nothing. Then he sees a hooded figure coming towards him, a red beam shoots out of a hilt in the figures gloved hand. All he can hear is the sound of his beating heart, and the crackle of the red beam coming at him.

A faint voice can be heard. "Kirk, are you alright? Kirk?!"

It is like seeing through a veil. He can feel that he is still in the training room, but his mind is not.

 _The hooded figure is still coming at him. He needs to get up._

He stands with a sword in hand. Kirk looks down to see the blade that he took from the planet Mustafar. _How did it get here?_ He looks at the hooded figure, then at his surroundings. Everything around him is burning. He can hear screams. NO! _I won't lose them. I won't lose them._

"Kirk?!" Again the faint voice.

The hooded figure is near. Now is the moment to strike.

In a swift moment, he swings his sword at the figure's hidden face, knocking him down on the mat. He points his weapon at his chest.

"I won't lose them to the likes of you." Kirk speaks in a menacing voice.

Then the memory slowly disappears. He is no longer looking at a hooded figure, but at his partner who is looking at him with worry eyes.

From the corner of his eye, he notices the hooded man no longer leaning against the wall. He is standing straight, staring right at him.

He focuses back to his sparring partner.

Her smile is no longer a smile, but a frown. He can't tell if she is disappointed or concern. Kirk returns the frown as he continues to look down at her. Then, he turns away from her, walking to the box of weapons to return his, once he hears the class has been dismissed.

Rey is still sitting on the mat, stunned. Ben runs over to her.

"Are you ok?" He asks as he helps her get up. She takes his hand, and he pulls her up on her feet.

"Yes, I'm fine." She says, though Ben can tell she doesn't mean it.

"Are you sure?" He asks, again.

"Yes." She says in an irritated voice.

"Ok. What about Kirk?"

"I don't know." And she really doesn't know what happen just now. She is still… surprised? She guesses, but not fully aware of what she is feeling.

"I watched for a brief moment as you two sparred. Something about the look on his face reminded me of a warrior during battle. The way he had his sword pointed down at you, it looked as if he was going in for the kill." He says to her as he watched her watching Kirk.

She shakes her head in disagreement. "No, I don't think that is what his intentions were. At least not towards me."

"What do you mean?" He asks, confused by her statement.

"It was as if his mind was elsewhere. And it is the words that he said that struck me that he wasn't really looking at me. He kept repeating, 'I won't lose them.' Before the class was dismissed his last words to me were, 'I won't lose them to the likes of you.' It's almost as if…" She stops for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"As if what, Rey?" He asks.

"It's nothing. I don't think it's his fault. He is the captain with a lot of responsibilities. He is probably under stressed. Also, he was just released from the hospital." She walks over to the weaponry box to return her practice sword. Ben follows her.

"Hmm. I don't think it is best-" Ben is caught off guard by the man in the hood speaking with Ragnhailt.

"Who is that?" He asks Rey. She looks at the direction he is facing.

"I don't know. But, I did hear we were getting a visitor from the temple. Maybe that is him."

Ben is still watching the master converse with the hooded man. _If that is the case, then why is the man-_

His thoughts are interrupted by a nudge from Rey. He looks at her annoyed, then back at the master as she gives a nod at their direction. He must have been staring too long because now the master is walking towards them.

"I would like the two of you, along with Kirk, to come with me." Master Ragnhailt orders.

"Yes, ma'am. Kirk is-" Rey looks around to find that Kirk has not left the training ground. Ragnhailt looks to where the young girl is staring at. Once she sees Kirk, she moves to walk over to him. Rey and Ben follow suit.

Kirk finished washing his face and exited the restrooms. Once he is close to the elevators, he notices the hooded man is gone. _That's odd._

He hears his name being called and sees Ragnhailt, Rey, and Ben walking at his direction.

Ragnhailt is the first to speak. "Please follow me, Kirk."

He does what he is told. He keeps his head away from Rey to ignore eye contact.

Along with the other three, he heads to the Federation Jedi Temple. This will be the first time Kirk as ever step foot in the temple.

"Kirk, there is someone I would like you to meet. That goes for you two as well." Ragnhailt says to all three of them.

As they enter the office, Kirk finds Master Eren and Malik are already here. They are both standing on either side of the desk. There is a man, Kirk as never met personally before, seated on the chair behind the desk.

"Hello, Ragnhailt. Hello, Rey and Ben. And hello, Captain, it is good to finally meet you." The man greets.

Kirk eyes the man. "It is good to meet you, too? I'm sorry, who are you?"

The man laughs. "I am Hakim, the representative of Elderyn."

"Right. Well, good to meet you then." Kirk is confused as to why he is here. He doesn't have time for this. He needs to rest his troubled mind.

There is an awkward silence until someone breaks it.

"How was class today?" Eren asks looking at Ragnhailt.

"Well as usual." Ragnhailt replies.

"What brings you here today?" The man, Hakim, asks.

"I have proof that Captain Kirk would make a good Jedi Sentinel. He was able to take on one of our top students." She tells him.

 _What?_ He looks at Rey in confusion. She looks at him with the same expression.

"Which one of you was his opponent?" Hakim asks looking from Rey to Ben.

"I was." Rey says, taking a step forward.

"Interesting." The man stands up from his chair walking around the desk to stand in front of them.

Up close, Kirk finally can get a good look at the representative. He notices a resemblance of the man in front of him to his former mentor, Admiral Pike. _Just with longer hair, and well, with those hippy robes._ He tries to imagine Pike in robes, but fails. _That is an image he doesn't care to have because of how ridiculous it is._

"Well, Mr. Kirk, it is good you are here. I have a mission for you." Hakim says looking directly at him. "I would like for you to go to Elderyn to deliver a gift to the King and Queen. You will deliver this gift to represent that Earth and Elderyn are allies."

"Isn't that why you are here? To represent your planet on the board of federation." Kirk asks, unsure why he is being asked of this.

"Yes, but this is to show that even a captain of the USS Enterprise can be trained as a Sentinel." Hakim replies.

"Ok." He looks at the masters and back at Rey and Ben. Rey looks as confused as he is, and Ben just looks pissed.

 _Just go with it_ , he tells himself.

"What kind of gift would you like me to deliver?"

Hakim smiles an eerily smile. "The gift can be anything of your choosing."

The blade comes to mind. "Anything?" Kirk asks curiously.

"Yes, anything. Do you have a gift in mind?" The way Hakim asks is as if he already knows the answer.

And Kirk knows exactly what he wants to give. It doesn't take him long to decide. The blade he recovered. He has to get rid of it. It is too much trouble in his hand. The blade is now pledging his dreams.

"The blade I found on Mustafar, I would like to present it as a gift." Kirk tells them.

"If you wish." Hakim turns to Eren with his arm stretched out. At first Eren is hesitant, then he hands the blade to Hakim.

"To lay this blade before the King and Queen is the highest of honors." He hands it to Kirk, but before he does he asks, "Are your positive you don't want to keep it for yourself?"

The question shocks the masters, and even Kirk. _Does he want to keep it? Does he want to pose that power?_

Master Malik is the one to speak. "Sir, he cannot keep the blade. It does not belong to him. It belongs in the hands of our King and Queen."

"Do not fret, Malik. It is only a question." Hakim reassures him.

"No, I don't want it. I choose the weapon as a gift to the Queen and King." Kirk says with confidence.

Hakim is smiling that eerily smile, again. He hands the blade to Kirk. He takes it and attaches it to his belt.

"You shall leave in 12 to 24 hours. Your ship and crew will be notified, and will stay behind. This is a mission for one Starfleet Captain." Hakim tells Kirk. "One more thing, would you mind taking the Skywalker cousins with you. I am sure they would love to visit their family during your time there. Would you not, Rey and Ben?"

Kirk turns to look at the young Jedi's. Rey has no expression on her face while Ben remains with the same pissed look. Rey looks at Kirk and nods.

"Sure, I don't mind."


	8. Chapter 8

"Now remember as a Jedi Sentinel you will not be wearing your clothes." Ragnhailt said the next morning as she gives him a rundown of what he has to do. "You are to wear these white and lavender robes until you have completed your task and returned home."

"All due respect master, but why am I not allowed to wear my regular uniform?" Kirk asks looking at the robes in utter disgust.

"It is the formal wear one must wear to impress the king and queen of Elderyn. Also, it is the uniform of a Padawan, or a Jedi in training." She says with a smile. "Once you are taken in for full training, you will receive regular robes."

 _Great, I'll get to look like a hippy. Should I grow out my hair and beard, too?_

"If I may be so bold, a long beard would look like quite shabby on you, Captain."

 _Did she just?_

"See through your thoughts? Yes, I did. Something you should be mindful about once you enter the kingdom of Elderyn. Also, please keep a look out for anything unusual. As a Sentinel, it is their duty to trace any forces of the dark side."

"Yes. But just so you are aware, I'm winging all of this since you still haven't explained much about the Force, Jedi, and the dark side." Kirk mockingly says the last part in an ominous voice.

She laughs. Before Ragnhailt can answer, the door to her office opens. She looks to see who it is.

"Hello, Rey. Ben." They both bow in greeting.

Rey looks straight to Kirk. "Wow, you look great. You even look better in the robes than you do in your Starfleet uniform."

"Don't joke."

Rey laughs. "I'm not!"

Kirk glares at her, then smiles. "Thank you, I know I look great in everything, but I'd have to disagree with you there. I look like a monk in these robes." He looks at Ragnhailt. "No offense."

"Non-taken." She smiles.

Ben rolls his eyes at the exchange. "Alright, looks like we are all ready. Can we go?" He says irritated.

They leave Ragnhailt's office with a bow, and exit the Starfleet Academy headquarters.

Kirk flashes his ID to the guard by the entrance. "I need a ship for three passengers."

"Right this way, Captain." The young guard leads them through the doors. "What will you be needing the ship for today, may I ask?"

"I've been asked to deliver a gift for the King and Queen of the Elderyn system. I will be representing Earth as allies."

"Here you are, sir." The man says as they stop in front of the vessel they would be using. "She's already to go. Good luck, sir."

"Home, here we come." Rey exciting says as she walks on board the ship followed by Ben.

Kirk unhooks the sword from his belt, staring at it for a few minutes.

" _Are you positive you do not want to keep it for yourself?"_ Hakim's words cling to the back of his mind once more. Kirk shakes his head. He needs the blade to be as far away from him as he could get it. Plus, even if he had wanted to keep it, he couldn't. It didn't belong to him. He knows that presenting this blade in front of the King and Queen is the most important task right now. 

"Kirk, you coming?" Rey asks, poking her head out from the door of the ship.

Kirk turns to her, and nods as he clips the weapon back onto his belt, and boards the ship.

They take their seats, and ascend out of the fleet, up to the sky, and into the atmosphere. As soon as it is clear, Kirk pushes forward on the thrusters, making the jump to light-speed.

They soon arrive near the planet's atmosphere in a matter of time after setting the coordinates. Rey and Ben look out the window as they descended to the planet's surface. Kirk looking over his shoulder sees the smiles from Rey and Ben.

They land in an open grassy field that leads to an entrance to a town. Behind the town, like a backdrop, a castle can be seen.

As they enter the town, they are greeted by smiling faces. Some even saying, "Hey Rey, off to see your family today?" or "Hello, Ben, haven't seen you in quite some time. How have you been?" The two cousins respond in kind. Some even mistook Kirk as being one of their own saying. "Hello, fellow Jedi, it is good to hear from the Skywalkers. Glad Earth has been treating the three of you so well."

Kirk just nodded and smiled, waving his hand in greeting, and even exchanging some hellos.

 _I guess with the robes I am mistaken for one of their own. Ben and Rey must be well known here, or at least their families are._ He observes the two making conversation with those in the town. _As for me, they must think I am a guard of some sorts._

 _Jedi, you mean, Jedi. It's the robes you are wearing._

He looks to find Rey staring at him with a gleam in her eye.

 _Did you just read my mind?_

 _Did I?_

 _Stop that!_

She laughs out loud.

They kept moving until they reached the castle doors. They are met by two guards who open the door for them. "Welcome home. We were informed by the masters that the three of you were to be coming."

They are escorted down a long red carpet that leads to the thrones. Two people, a man and a woman, are sitting on the thrones. It is obvious to Kirk that they are the King and Queen of Elderyn. And from the position, it is clear that the Queen is the one in charge. Standing next to the King and Queen is a man who resembles the Queen.

"Rey and Ben, welcome home." Says the Queen. Rey and Ben bow.

"Captain Kirk, we have heard so much about you. Welcome."

Kirk copies Rey and Ben. The three stand. Kirk looks at all five members in the room. Then it clicks to him.

"Hello, father and mother. It is good to see you. Uncle Luke. It is good to see you as well." Ben says.

 _They are family. That explains the many greetings from the town._

"Aunt Leia, Uncle Han, and father, I have missed you all during my time on Earth." Rey tells them.

"We missed you as well." Says the man standing near the Queen, who was referred to as Luke and Rey's father.

Kirk is standing there in shock of the revelation.

Rey senses it and turns to Kirk. "I'm sorry we never mentioned it. It was part of the rule not to say, so we can join the academy. Also, I didn't want my training mates to treat me any different."

"I understand." Kirk gives her a smile. "So, should I start calling you princess now?"

Rey laughs. "Unnecessary. Ben is more of the royal than I. You may refer to him as prince if you like."

Kirk looks at Ben, who is glaring at Rey. _Prince of gloom more like it._

Suddenly, Ben's glare is directed at him.

 _ARE YOU ALL MIND READERS?_ Kirk mentally shouts at them.

Rey continues to laugh. Ben just looks away without saying a word.

"Why don't you and Rey go visit with your friends – I am sure they would be delighted to know you are back from your training."

The two cousins leave the room. "My name is Leia. I am the queen of Elderyn. This is my husband Han." She says looking at the man sitting next to her. Then she directs her attention to man standing. "And this is my brother Luke. He runs the Jedi temple here on Elderyn." Luke nods as Kirk bows in return

"Nice to meet you all. I've been sent by Hakim to deliver this." He says as he unhooks the sword from his belt and lays it before the throne, kneeling. "As Captain of the USS Enterprise I come here today to give you this blade as a gift. Earth appreciates your alliance. Thank you for becoming a part of the Federation."

Leia gets up and slowly picks up the blade activating it. Han and Luke stare at the gold beam in awe. After a few moments, Luke speaks.

"Well, this weapon certainly is rare."

Leia turns off the beam. "It is. What an interesting design."

Luke continues. "In all honesty, I have never seen a lightsaber like this one before."

"Looks like gun beam and laser fused together. It's something one would find in the black market. Kid, did you buy this blade from someone or did you find it?" Han asks.

"I found it on planet Mustafar."

"You found it. Right." Clearly, more of a question in his statement. Like he doesn't believe Kirk.

"Yes." Replies Kirk not liking the tone in Han's voice. _Is he suggesting something? Well, technically, he took it without permission._

"Interesting." He hears Luke comment.

"Finding this blade must mean it has called to you. Rare objects do not come along every day." Luke tells him as Leia hands him the sword to study it.

"My brother is right, Kirk. There is a reason why you found this weapon. We will not be accepting the gift." Leia declares.

Kirk is confused. "Wait, why not?"

"We appreciate the sentiment, but we want you to keep it." She assures him with a smile.

"You want me to keep it? I came all of this way to represent Earth and gift you the blade as a sign of respect. I can't keep it for myself. I can't." Kirk slightly turns his head away as the sound of distress leaves his mouth on those last words. Thoughts from the past couple days come flooding in.

He feels a hand on his shoulder and he looks up to see Luke kneeling eye level with him. "Your thoughts dwell on the events that happened after you found the blade. Be mindful of your emotions or such feeling can lead someone to a dark path."

Kirk is stunned by his words. _Is the agony and conflict within that obvious?_

"I will try."

"Do or do not. There is no try." Luke replies.

 _Uh. Sure, whatever that means._

"Ok."

"I will inform the masters on Earth of today's discussion." Luke stands from the kneeling position as Kirk does. "Thank you for coming today, Kirk, it was a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you for having me her today." Kirk says looking at all three. He takes a bow. Just before he leaves the room Han speaks.

"Oh, Captain."

Kirk turns to face them once more.

"Chewy." Han calls.

Kirk is in awe, and a bit worried, as a giant like bear steps out from behind the long backdrop curtains and stands next to Han.

"Why not show the Captain here around the castle?" Han tells the bear.

It known as Chewy lets out a growl in agreement.

"Kid, just a bit of information before you go. It's not wise to upset a Wookie." Han says giving Kirk a smirk.

Kirk nods and turns to leave with the bear following him a few feet behind him. The only emotions he is feeling now are mixed. He doesn't know what to think or feel about having this weapon by his side. The idea almost scares him.


	9. Chapter 9

Kirk looks over at Chewy, who is walking by his side. _I can't just walk around these halls for who knows how long Luke is going to be absent,_ Kirk thinks to himself. Then he remembers the training he will grow through as a Sentinel once he returns home. Find and destroy traces of the dark side. _How am I supposed to know what to look for when I don't even know what the Darkside is?_

Kirk walks in a room with Chewy. The room is filled with pictures and a long dining table with glasses and silverware on it. A pure white tablecloth covering it. Behind the table is a wooden cabinet where they probably keep the tableware that was sitting out right now. Chewy is behind him as Kirk looks up at all of the pictures he passes by. Most paintings appear to be important people. One is of a man with shoulder length curly hair with distinctive features similar to Rey and Ben. _A relative, maybe?_ Speaking of Rey and Ben, he finds a photo of them much younger than they are now, hanging on the wall. Just below that photo is one that stands out practically. It is a photo of five people, which appear to be posing in battle stances. _Some kind of stunt pose for emphasis?_

In this group photo, they are all facing forward, three men and two women. Four of the five are holding blasters, kneeling on one knee, while one is holding a lightsaber. What made this photo stand out to Kirk is the lightsaber the woman is holding. The lightsaber has gold trim wrapped around the blade, and the beam is a bright gold light. It is the same weapon he found on Mustafar! From the looks of the photo's quality, it looks to have been snapped way before his time. Kirk unhooks the blade from his belt starting at it.

"So this blade must be around two centuries' old." He says out loud to himself. He hears Chewy give a few growls. Kirk clips the sword back onto his belt, and faces the Wookie. "Do you know who these people are in this photo, Chewy?" He asks as he points at the photo.

Chewy responds with growls and nods of his head to which Kirk could not understand one word of. Kirk just shook his head hopelessly. He looks back up at the photograph – one female Jedi master and another female wearing a traditional Starfleet Captain's uniform. The other three in the photo are males constituting of an Andorian, Tellarite, and a Vulcan. These were the same five species that formed the United Federation of Planets. _How can that be when the Jedi were discovered five years ago, yet the photograph looks as if the Jedi made contact way before that? Not to mention that all five in the photo wore clothing dictating high ranks: Admirals, Ambassadors, Lords, and who knows what else…_ He continues to stare at the group in the picture.

Then something catches his eye. He sees a head to neck shot of what appears to be a bird or dragon of some sort. Kirk looks over to the next picture, which shows those same five appearing to be fighting an army. _These are not the type I would want to run into a dark ally._ Kirk thinks to himself.

He continues to walk around the room looking at each photograph on the wall, until he and Chewy hear a rattle of a doorknob. The Wookiee softly growls, and points in front of him, while nudging Kirk.

"WHAT?" Kirk asks confused, and alarmed.

Chewy growls, again. He points at a wall that seems to be moving. "What the-"

The Wookiee grabs him by the robes and shoves him towards the direction of a large cabinet.

"OK, ok, I get it. No need to shove-"

The two quickly get into the large cabinet, and shut the door, leaving only a crack open to see who has entered the room. An opening of a door is heard. Chewy moves to get a look, smashing Kirk in the process. The space in the cabinet is not as big as it may appear from the outside.

"Hey, watch it!" He whispers. He hears the Wookiee apologetically growl in a low tone.

They carefully move around to get a good look.

Finally, the two are able to see a hooded figure walk in front of the table with a pitcher of water. He pours some in all of the glasses set around the table. In the last one, at the end of the table, he takes out a white colored pill from his robe pocket, and drops it in as he fills the glass with water.

He sets the pitcher on the middle of the table, and turns to the photo of the five warriors. "Ah, Savitri may the galaxy be forgiven from all its sins when you return." With that, he leaves the room. Moments later the royal family come in through the door he and Chewy walked in a while ago. All five sit down in their seats not saying a word. Kirk watches as the queen sits at the end of the table.

That is when Kirk and Chewy throw open the cabinet doors startling the family.

"Kirk." Leia says, startled.

Kirk ignites the sword cutting the glass cup in half with a spin of the blade.

"Kirk what is going on?" Rey stands up from her seat, eyes wide.

He looks down at himself with the blade in hand, and the water all over the floor with broken glass. _Well, I guess that was a bit over-dramatic._

"You think?" He hears Ben reply to his unspoken comment.

Kirk turns to Leia.

"Ma'am, I apologize, but someone is trying to kill you by poisoning your water."

"What?" She asks in disbelief.

"Someone came in here, dropped a white pill in your water, said something about Savitri, and left. Did you not see a hooded man walk out the door just now?"

The family looked at each other. "No."

"Then he must have come through another entrance."

Kirk looks around the room to find the moving wall from earlier. Then he hears Chewy growl and point at a doorway that he did not notice before.

"Where does that lead to?"

"That is the service entrance. It has not been used for many years." Leia tells him.

Kirk and Chewy look at each other for a moment. "Kirk-" Rey begins to say, but before she can say another word, he is off running after whatever man or thing came through that entry way.


End file.
